Volume 7, No. 25 ©SS 2015
FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015
US troops at the DMZ guide tours, train, lead no-frills life » Page 2
For information please contact Waverly Williams 803-774-1237 or waverly@theitem.com Pfc. Joshua Dixon, 23, of Brainerd, Minn., gives tourists a quick history of the Joint Security Area at Camp Bonifas, South Korea, in April. SETH ROBSON /Stars and Stripes
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COVER STORY
TROOPS, TOURISTS & THE DMZ
Joint Security Area soldiers on ‘real-world mission’ along the barbed-wire frontier
PHOTOS
BY
SETH ROBSON /Stars and Stripes
The building where U.S. troops live on Camp Bonifas, South Korea, is nothing special but troops get their own rooms, sharing a bathroom and kitchenette with a roommate. In addition to training and guiding tours, troops also are on standby to investigate incidents in the Joint Security Area.
BY SETH ROBSON Stars and Stripes
CAMP BONIFAS, South Korea s anyone planning to defect?” It’s a question that never fails to crack up visitors during tours to the Joint Security Area, where North and South Korean soldiers face off inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the rival nations. Pfc. Joshua Dixon, 23, of Brainerd, Minn., has been asking the question of tourists for the past year as a member of the United Nations Command Security Battalion at Camp Bonifas. “Most people laugh. but if there’s a guy who doesn’t even smile I keep my eye on him,” said Dixon, who spends about a third of his time helping run the tours, often for other servicemembers assigned to Korea.
“I SEE PAGE 3
Pfc. Joshua Dixon, seen in his relatively spartan living quarters at Camp Bonifas, has learned to love life at the camp despite the isolation that keeps troops from seeing much of South Korea.
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COVER STORY FROM PAGE 2
Camp Bonifas — only a few minutes’ drive from the JSA — hosts 800 to 900 visitors each day, so escorting them is a big part of the job for the troops on the world’s most militarized border. It’s a place where the relative calm belies the threat across the border from a belligerent country that has been developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and periodically heats up tensions to a boil. The barbed-wire frontier is heavily mined and under constant scrutiny with armed foot patrols by both sides. Like many of the U.S. soldiers at Camp Bonifas, this is Dixon’s first duty station. He enlisted in November 2013 after dropping out of an athletic studies course at the University of Minnesota Duluth. “I was sitting in class and I checked my bank account and I was in debt,” he recalled. “I walked into the recruiting office and asked: ‘What can you do for me?’ ” Some of the young Bonifas troops think it’s tough duty — the conditions are relatively spartan, and no families are allowed, unlike at bases further south. However, talking with noncommissioned officers and officers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan puts things in perspective, Dixon said. “Soldiers who haven’t been deployed think this is pretty bad, but you have to realize that it could always be worse,” he said. Before they can run the tours, U.S. troops must memorize a 13-page-history of the Korean War along with details about what goes on at the JSA. They also some of their time on standby, ready to respond
‘We have it a little
harder than the rest of the Korean peninsula, but we are proud to be here.
’
Pfc. Joshua Dixon member of the United Nations Command Security Battalion at Camp Bonifas
SETH ROBSON /Stars and Stripes
There are limited training facilities on Camp Bonifas, so troops use the post’s one-hole golf course to practice infantry tactics. to incidents in the JSA. There have been some high-profile incidents over the years. In 1976, North Korean troops used an ax to murder two U.S. officers, including Camp Bonifas’ namesake, Capt. Arthur Bonifas. In 1984, a firefight broke out after a Soviet defector ran into South Korea. The U.S. soldiers share quick-reaction force duties with two South Korean military units. When the Americans are on standby, they spend their time training. Camp Bonifas has its own shoot-house, where soldiers can practice fighting, and a pistol range, but the soldiers also train at ranges outside the post including one that has a mock-up of the JSA. “We mostly train infantry tactics but we do some personal security detail training
to make sure we can bring anyone we bring into the DMZ safely back to Camp Bonifas,” Dixon said. Initially a Special Forces recruit, Dixon ended up a military policeman due to color blindness and an ear problem. However, recruiters for the security battalion saw something special in him when he joined at the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea and called him in for an interview. “They were looking for guys with good PT (physical training) scores and clean military and civilian backgrounds,” he said. “They tell you it is a little harder up here and you’re under a little more restrictions, but it’s a real-world mission.” That was enough for Dixon, who has come to love life at Camp Bonifas, even though the isolation means troops
there don’t get to see much of South Korea; they must be able to get back within two hours if there’s an emergency. Dixon’s day, like that of the other troops up north, starts with a formation on an indoor basketball court followed by physical training. As the sun came up on a recent chilly morning, he and two dozen others ran and did pull-ups and calisthenics on a baseball field to get their blood pumping. Afterward, Dixon headed back to his barracks — it’s nothing special, but troops get their own rooms, sharing a bathroom and kitchenette with a roommate. The dining facility is being renovated so the troops cook most meals in their rooms. The Army sent a nutritionist and a finance specialist to the base last year to teach them
about cooking and shopping for healthy food, Dixon said as he fried eggs and potatoes on an electric range. For now the troops make runs to the commissary on Yongsan Garrison in Seoul every two weeks to stock up on groceries although they can buy snacks from an Army and Air Force Exchange Service trailer on Camp Bonifas several days a week. After breakfast, Dixon swapped his T-shirt and shorts for a camouflage uniform and a Joint Security Area armband, and it was off to work. At midday Dixon stopped at the South Korean troops’ dining facility for lunch that was typical Korean fare — pork, rice and spicy cabbage kimchi. He bumped into several South Korean soldiers with whom he has become friends. SEE PAGE 4
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COVER STORY U.S. troops start the day with physical training at Camp Bonifas. The camp’s isolation leaves soldiers plenty of time for exercise, which is what the troops tend to do after work, too. SETH ROBSON /Stars and Stripes
FROM PAGE 3
The U.S. troops also interact with soldiers from several other nations including New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden and Poland who work with the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission. The unarmed U.N. troops are charged with investigating armistice violations. There is a direct telephone link to North Korea, although the communists haven’t answered it for 2 ½ years. When troops want to communicate with the North Koreans — usually to talk about repatriation of Korean War remains — they use a loud hailer, Dixon said. On those trips north, the American troops sometimes
find themselves nose-to-nose with the North Koreans, Dixon said. “They will stare at you for a good minute and try to test you,” he said. “I had a North Korean soldier unholster his pistol, bring it up a few inches and look at me. He was about a foot away.” Dixon said he just stood his ground until the North Korean walked away. “You don’t want to be up there starting World War III,” he said. “If I put my hand on my holster they would have used the image for propaganda saying that America is threatening North Korea.” The North Koreans are always interested in people who visit the DMZ. They’ve taken Dixon’s photograph
more times than he can count but sometimes they get a little carried away, he said. “One guy thought he was taking lots of pictures of me but he still had the lens cap on,” he said. “It took every ounce of energy not to laugh.” After work, the troops at Camp Bonifas usually hit the gym. “We are big on after-hours PT,” Dixon said. The ancient Quonset hut where the troops lift weights is busy every evening. On weekends the Americans play rugby and football among themselves and baseball and soccer with their South Korean counterparts. In the evening many of the young soldiers play video games or watch U.S. TV or
movies online. Dixon has a PlayStation 4, a big-screen TV and a big pile of game discs in his room along with enough body-building protein powders and supplements to feed a small army. He’s also got more memorabilia from celebrity visitors than most troops acquire in a lifetime. His military coin collection includes keepsakes from some of the highest-ranking officers in the Department of Defense. In one corner of his room sits a football signed by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and a baseball signed by Major League Baseball pitcher Randy Johnson. During his year in Korea, Dixon has met Colts coach Chuck Pagano and watched pro golfer Paula
Creamer play the camp’s onehole course. When he visits Camp Casey, where most of the other 2nd ID soldiers are based, he runs into troops who complain about the hardship of serving in Korea. Dixon finds that amusing, since the massive camp has many more facilities than Bonifas: a nine-hole golf course, fast-food outlets and a movie theater. And it’s surrounded by off-post bars and restaurants. “I see people at Camp Casey who put #DMZ (in online posts) and shake my head,” he said, but added, “We have it a little harder than the rest of the Korean peninsula, but we are proud to be here.” robson.seth@stripes.com Twitter: @SethRobson1
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Volume 7, No. 7 ©SS 2015 FRIDAY, JANUARY 30,
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MILITARY
Army plans slow rollout of new combat uniforms Stars and Stripes
patch hook and loop. Internal elbow and knee patches will be removed. Soldiers will not be required to immediately purchase the new uniforms — which will be rolled out to stores from July to November — but Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey urged enlisted soldiers to plan to purchase new uniforms with their annual clothing allowance. “I myself will wait until I am issued my clothing allowance before purchasing a uniform with the Operational Camouflage Pattern,” Dailey said in a news release. “I encourage all soldiers and leaders to do the same by budgeting for a new uniform, belt, boots, and T-shirts as you receive your clothing allowance over the next 2-3 years.” The cost of the new uniform will be similar to the current Universal Camouflage Pattern, which run $91.70 for a hat, blouse and trousers. The new uniforms will be standard issue for new soldiers starting in January, the Army said. If the OCP design looks suspiciously familiar, that’s because it is. Long story short, the Army has owned the pattern since 2002 and famously rejected it in favor of the “Universal Combat Pattern.” Crye Precision, the company that developed the original version of the OCP for the Army back in 2002, tweaked and improved the design after the Army rejected it and came up with MultiCam, which The hook-and-loop closur the Army later chose e has been removed from the when it needed an upper sleeve pocket in favor of actual camouflage to a zipper. conceal its personnel in Afghanistan.
decade or so in Afghanistan. Mostly, the OCP looks like a slightly less Starting July 1, the Army’s new subtle and greener variant of that camo look will be anything but tried-and-true design. uniform. During the transition period — New combat uniforms with from July 1, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2019, nine design changes, including — soldiers will be able to continue less Velcro, will start appearing to wear the old sand-colored belts, in military exchanges, but the old T-shirts and combat boots with the camo pattern will live on during new uniform. a four-year, money-saving transiThe new accessories have been tional phase. changed to a deeper tan and coyote The “Operational Camouflage brown. Pattern,” or OCP, that rolls out in Other changes include redeabout three weeks is in many ways signed shoulder sleeve pockets similar to the MultiCam pattern with a zipper worn for the last half opening, no trouser drawstring, a button on the lower calf pocket, two pen pockets on the sleeve instead of three, and the elimination of the elbow . gn si de own collar and knee has a fold-d rm ifo un w The ne
en ckets have be Sleeve pen po ree to two. th m fro reduced
The new uniform features the tan 499 T-shirt, tan 499 belt and coyote brown boot. Photos courtesy of PEO Soldier
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MILITARY
Navy could allow more dependents for Bahrain tours BY H ENDRICK SIMOES Stars and Stripes
MANAMA, Bahrain — More sailors soon might be able to bring their families on assignment to Bahrain, where the Navy installation hosting 5th Fleet has grown significantly in recent years. Allowing more sailors to bring their families to the tiny, island kingdom in the Persian Gulf would reduce the rate of turnover, as tours could be extended from one to two years for accompanied sailors. That could be key at a time of stepped-up operations for 5th Fleet, which is heavily involved in the U.S.-led air campaign against the Islamic State group seeking to expand its control of territory in Syria and Iraq. The number of U.S. personnel in the country has increased from 6,500 to 8,300 in just two years, and the base is nearing its current quota of 686 families, with roughly 1,300 dependents currently in Bahrain. Capt. David Meron, commander of Navy Support Activity Bahrain, has submitted a proposal to raise the quota to 900 families. “It’s no mystery that the base here is in good shape. We
think we have the capacity to hold more dependents,” Meron said in an interview. The proposal has support, Meron said, but an increase would have to be approved at a very “high level,” and there is no estimate on when the decision might come. If approved, the new quota would be phased in 50 families at a time to assess the impact on the base infrastructure and on the school run by Department of Defense Dependents Schools. A $580 million expansion has doubled the U.S. Navy’s footprint here, and what was once an expeditionary location is gradually transitioning into a family-oriented overseas base similar to those in Europe and Japan. Expanding support services for families include a new, $480,000 school-age care facility with the capacity to support 75 kids in kindergarten through sixth grade that opened this month; a 55 percent increase in capacity over three years at Navy Child & Youth Programs; and plans to expand the Teen Center and the Child Development Center. Meron said allowing more dependents in Bahrain is good for a sailor’s “well-being” as
HENDRICK SIMOES/Stars and Stripes
Children of U.S. personnel stationed at Naval Support Activity Bahrain charge into a new, schoolage care facility June 2. well as continuity. “It’s tough because of the constant turnover,” Meron said. Some personnel say they were hesitant about bringing their families because of the reports about Bahrain’s political unrest. “Two years ago, we were concerned about coming here; now we’re sad to leave,” said Cmdr. Julie Hunter, whose husband and three daughters accompanied her to Bahrain, which offers a Western
lifestyle, including American retail and restaurant chains. Massive protests in 2011 threatened to topple Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy. But these were quickly crushed following an armed intervention by troops from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies. At the time, the U.S. Navy temporarily evacuated American families from Bahrain. Since then, the protest movement has lost much of its strength, but sporadic demon-
strations by members of the Shiite majority demanding political and economic reforms have continued. American families soon began returning to Bahrain, which is generally considered safe, with the vast majority of U.S. personnel living off base. “The word is getting out that Bahrain is not a scary place,” Meron said, “It’s a great place to be.” simoes.hendrick@stripes.com Twitter: @HendrickSimoes
Army secretary McHugh stepping down; no reason given BY TRAVIS J. TRITTEN Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department said Monday that Secretary of the Army John McHugh is stepping down. The department provided no reason for McHugh’s departure but said he might stay on as the Army’s top civilian until November to give the Obama administration a smooth
transition as it searches for his successor. His departure comes as Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno also plans to retire, closing a page on the era of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and ushering in new leadership as the service faces growing unrest around the world and defense budget caps in Washington. “There will be much time in the coming months to appro-
priately celebrate his many accomplishments, but for now I will just say that every soldier is better off because of his hard work and vision, and so is the country,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said of McHugh in a statement. The longtime Republican congressman from New York was appointed by President Barack Obama as secretary in 2009 after serving as the ranking minority member on
the House Armed Services Committee. Some in the Defense Department had anticipated that McHugh would step down during Obama’s second term, according to press reports in 2013. But Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said he could not confirm whether McHugh had planned his departure. The leading candidate to
replace McHugh is said to be Eric Fanning, currently chief of staff to Carter, according to Defense News. Considered “one of the most capable leaders in the Pentagon,” the Defense News said, Fanning would be the first openly gay secretary of a U.S. military branch tritten.travis@stripes.com Twitter: @Travis_Tritten
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EUROPE
Carter: Long-term commitment to Europe reassurance needed BY JOHN VANDIVER Stars and Stripes
STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S. should continue to set aside special funds to maintain a beefed-up military presence in Europe, where more rotational forces, an expanded series of war games and increased fighter jet patrols have helped reassure allies rattled by Russian aggression in Ukraine, according to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Following a meeting June 5 with military commanders and diplomats from across Europe at the U.S. European Command headquarters of Gen. Philip Breedlove in Stuttgart, Carter said it is clear the U.S. must find a way to ensure the so-called European Reassurance Initiative, begun last year, receives continuing support. “We’re going to need to make that a part of our planning, programming, budgeting system going forward. There’s just no question about it,” Carter told reporters traveling with him, according to a transcript. “This is going to be an enduring challenge.” The nearly $1 billion European Reassurance Initiative, approved by Congress in December, already has enabled the Pentagon to bolster its activities across the continent, with a special focus on eastern Europe, where allies in close proximity to Russia and Ukraine are wary about Moscow’s intentions. However, the program, which is funded through overseas contingency funds, must be approved by Congress on an annual basis. While it remains unclear whether Congress will continue to support such funding, the ERI is shielded from the mandatory defense budget cap known as sequestration, which is imposed on the regular military budget. That could make it easier for the Pentagon to maintain funding support
in the future should Congress fail to reach a deal that eliminates the mandated slowdown of spending in the base budget. Since Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in March last year and Moscow’s continued backing of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine’s east, U.S. officials have refocused their attention on security challenges in Europe, which previously had been on the strategic backburner. Now, with a resurgent Russia in the east and the rise of the Islamic State near NATO’s southern flank across the Mediterranean Sea, the alliance finds itself with a full agenda, Carter said. “(It’s) sort of ironic if you reflect on the fact that a couple of years ago … it was much discussed in NATO — what was NATO going to do next after Afghanistan and was there a mission for NATO,” Carter said. Now, he said, it’s clear that NATO has two priorities: Russia and “the Putin challenge to Europe and to the post-Soviet structure and order,” and the Islamic State “phenomenon, foreign fighters in North Africa in proximity to NATO shores.” In recent years, the U.S. military has steadily drawn down its forces in Europe, which now stand at about 68,000. However, the European Reassurance Initiative funds have helped augment the U.S. presence in the region with temporarily assigned
forces from states, enabling the steady rotation of additional armor through eastern Europe. Among the high-profile missions that the ERI has helped support include U.S. Army Europe’s Dragoon Ride Stryker convoy, which sent troops on a more-than1,000-mile, show-of-force road trip from the Baltics to southwestern Germany. The money also is paying for the rotation of a U.S.-based heavy armored brigade and increased fighter jet patrols over the Baltic states, as well as increased
Navy deployments to the Black Sea. Carter’s brainstorming session in Stuttgart was an opportunity for the secretary to hear assessments of the effectiveness of U.S. efforts to deter Russian aggression from U.S. military leaders from the combatant commands as well as diplomats from across Europe, said EUCOM spokesman Navy Capt. Greg Hicks. “He (Carter) was particularly interested in hearing our feedback on how our European Allies are being impacted by Russian actions, and what additional Department of Defense training and exercises could assist,” Hicks said in a statement. Following his meeting with military leaders in Europe, Carter is expected to offer advice to the White House on a way ahead in Europe. Areas where the U.S. and allies could do more include increasing the number of joint military exercises as well as making improvements in intelligence sharing among NATO partners, Carter said. vandiver.john@ stripes.com
Defense Secretary Ash Carter testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 6. M ANUEL BALCE C ENETA /AP
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I am stronger, because I know you’re out there
MILITARY
Sexual orientation is added to I DOD anti-discrimination policy BY H EATH DRUZIN Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — Gay and lesbian servicemembers who experience discrimination in the military can now seek recourse after Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced a change in Pentagon policy Tuesday. Carter delivered the news as part of his remarks celebrating the Department of Defense Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month. “Four years after the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ — following years and years of gay and lesbian servicemembers having to hide who they are — today we take pride in how they’re free to serve their country openly,” he said. “Because we believe in getting to a place where no one serves in silence, and where we treat all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines with the dignity and the respect that they deserve.” The change adds sexual orientation to the list of non-discrimination categories — including race, religion and age — meaning gay servicemembers who feel they are being discriminated or retaliated against can file an equal opportunity complaint. The policy does not change the current ban on transgender people serving in the military. Denny Meyer, a spokesman for American Veterans for Equal Rights, which advocates on behalf of LGBT veterans, applauded the move, but said the Pentagon needs to go further and protect transgender servicemembers. “It’s yet another piece that is being repaired years too late, but it’s about time,” he said. “It’s another step forward — we deserve full and
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equal rights like everyone else.” That equal opportunity protection was afforded to gay civilian employees of the Department of Defense but even after the repeal of “don’t ask don’t tell” four years ago, gay troops were not covered by the Pentagon’s anti-discrimination policy. “We must start from a position of inclusivity, not exclusivity,” Carter said. “Anything less is not just plain wrong; it’s bad defense policy, and puts our future strength at risk.” The new regulations are meant to mirror the department’s existing prohibition on discrimination or retaliation of civilian employees on basis of “race, color, sex (to include sexual harassment, pregnancy, transgender and gender identity), disability, age (40 or older), sexual orientation, national origin, religion or genetic information.” It means, for example, if a superior is working to deny a soldier a promotion based on his sexual orientation, that soldier can now seek relief. Illustrating the patchwork nature of reforms aimed at welcoming LGBT servicemembers, though, it is unclear whether transgender troops serving despite the ban are now covered by the Pentagon’s antidiscrimination policy. Asked whether the new policy affected transgender troops, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Christensen referred to the existing policy banning transgender troops from serving and an ongoing review of the military’s policy on who can serve. “I’m just going to leave it at that,” he said. druzin.heath@stripes.com Twitter: @Druzin_Stripes
This publication is a compilation of stories from Stars and Stripes, the editorially independent newspaper authorized by the Department of Defense for members of the military community. The contents of Stars and Stripes are unofficial, and are not to be considered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, including the Defense Department or the military services. The U.S. Edition of Stars and Stripes is published jointly by Stars and Stripes and this newspaper. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the DOD or Stars and Stripes of the products or services advertised. Products or services advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.
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me. was on the phone with my She reminded me of Beth, a friend Sheila, bemoaning good friend and on-base neighthe demise of our hopes bor at our previous assignment. for a weekend reunion Thinking of my sweet friend we’d planned with another changed my perspective, and friend, Bonnie. We three met my mother’s wisdom — as it while stationed in Germany. Our latest assignments brought often does — applied to more than the heartbreak du jour. us within driving distance of It helped me realize that the one another, and in Februrewards of good friendships ary we had planned to gather go beyond the time spent with in one place for the first time those friends. Memories of good in several years — until an people can keep me company, untimely ice storm made the even counteract insults — and roads between us impassable. a little talk with Mom doesn’t I stood at my window, holdhurt, either. Instead of taking ing the phone and glowering at those hurtful comments to a gray sky. heart, I let them go, and ended “We don’t have another up becoming friends with the weekend we’re all free before person who said them. we move farther away from Building friendships each other,” I said to Sheila. “I requires time and proximity, was looking forward to being two things that are not always together again.” abundant between military “Me too,” she said, “but I friends. It takes effort to cultiknow you’re out there.” vate the relaHer words captured a truth SPOUSE CALLS tionships we of military life. Knowing my value most friends are there even when and to stay they aren’t near has comforted connected in me on some cold bleak days. a mobile life, When I was new to life as a but the lastmilitary wife, I didn’t have a ing rewards history of friendship to reasmake the sure me. Leaving friends was effort worthmore painful then, because I while. didn’t know about the new ones At every to come. I also didn’t know duty station then that the Join the conversation with Terri at we find some strongest stripes.com/go/spousecalls friendships friendships that will not would survive outlast that the inevitable particular assignment. These separations of military life. relationships are still valuable Over the years and duty and true, but we can’t bond stations, I’ve bonded, and then for life with everyone we meet parted, with some extraordiand like. Some friendships nary people. Often just knowing will result in stronger bonds, they are out there has inoculatwhich will stay with us for ed me against the strangeness of another new neighborhood, more than a two- or three-year another collection of unfamiliar stint. These are the friends we faces and places. can call no matter what the Having those friends from time-zone difference, those the past gives me hope that we’ll travel across the country more friends are in my future, to see. Whenever we meet but sometimes the present is we pick up where we left off, still a challenge. Even when no matter how long it’s been you have lots of friends, a since we were together. Every mobile life gets lonely. With friendship is valuable, but friends scattered across the these are truly golden. globe, there’s always someone I know I’ve been fortunate out there to miss. to make friends all over the Our first overseas assignworld whose companionship ment was a particularly will be with me wherever I difficult transition for me, and go, even when we’ve gone our making new friends seemed separate ways. Whenever I feel fraught with misunderstandisolated or misunderstood, I ing. One day, I was talking to will remember you, and I can my mom on the phone across weather discouragement, unseveral time zones, telling her kind words and lonely days. all about a new acquaintance I am stronger, because I who said something unkind to know you’re out there.
Friday, June 12, 2015
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